Sunshine
by ScarlettKate1013
Summary: This is a very old Bo & Carly what-if that occurs after Mrs. Horton passes away. It was originally posted at The Princess and the Sailor. Short, sweet and fluffy.


_I don't own DOOL or any of its characters or the lyrics to the song at the end._

 _Sunshine_

Yesterday had been one of the longest days in Bo Brady's life.

Two days before yesterday, Bo had been ready to present Hope with divorce papers. He wanted to get on with his life, with Carly. But before he could get with Hope, she had turned up at his house and told him about Mrs. Horton.

Hope's news had devastated Bo. He knew that Mrs. H had been in ill health, but he had never entertained the thought that she wouldn't pull through. Alice Horton was a force to be reckoned with. The matriarch of the Horton clan, she had led her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren down life's pathways with dignity, love and humor. And she had never failed to deliver a swift kick in the behind to one of them when it was needed. The very idea that such a light was growing dim and would soon go out was inconceivable to Bo.

Hope had begun to cry, and Bo had opened his arms to her without thought. Despite all that had passed between them, he had found himself unable to turn her away. Then Carly had come home. When she had learned of Mrs. Horton's condition, Carly had immediately extended her condolences to Hope, who had blatantly ignored her kindness. And Bo had been torn – torn between wanting to stand with the woman he loved and wanting to comfort one whom he had loved. In the end, Carly had made the decision for him. With impeccable grace, she had bowed out of the conversation, trusting Bo to do what he felt was right. For the love that he bore Alice Horton, Bo had decided on the spot to withhold the divorce papers from Hope until a more appropriate time.

One day before yesterday, Bo had knelt at the bedside of the woman who had been like a grandmother to him for most of his life. Alice Horton had guided Bo through some rocky times in his life, not a few of them concerning her headstrong granddaughter. Bo had fallen for Hope the moment he had laid eyes on her, and Mrs. H had done all she could to help them.

When Bo thought that he had lost Hope, it was Mrs. H who had given him the peace to go on with his life. She was one of the staunchest supporters of his relationship with Carly. Mrs. H had helped him secretly communicate with Carly when they were hiding their relationship because of Victor. Bo knew that Mrs. H had loved Carly and that Carly had adored the elderly lady. But Carly, knowing that her presence would be neither wanted nor welcomed by anyone else in Alice Horton's home, had stayed away. Bo had spoken with her a time or two on the phone, but Carly had not questioned him or pressured him in any way, insisting that he visit with Mrs. Horton and her family.

Mrs. Horton hadn't known Bo when he first knelt on the floor beside her bed. He had taken her weathered and wrinkled hand and kissed it, cradling it against his cheek. He hadn't even realized he was crying until the tear drops splashed onto their joined hands. Alice had blinked her rheumy eyes then and she suddenly knew who it was with her.

She had smiled at him and told him that she was glad to see him.

Bo had returned her smile and said that he was happy to spend the evening with her.

"Nonsense, I know you'd rather be with at home with Carly." Bo, surprised at her candor, had balked and stuttered, uncomfortable with discussing Carly with Hope's grandmother. He needn't have bothered because Alice Horton never had nor would she ever let Bo get away with anything.

"Bo Brady, I'm an old woman and I know that my time is short. I'm going to give you some advice. I watched you with my granddaughter and I watched you with Carly Manning. They are two different women, and you had two completely different relationships with them. I may be old, but I've not taken complete leave of my senses. You and Hope have had problems. You had your share of them with Carly, too. All relationships have problems. It's what you do about those problems that will determine the success or failure of a relationship."

"You think I should work things out with Hope."

"Don't put words in my mouth, Beauregard. Stop listening to everyone around you. Listen to what your heart is telling you." She had thumped him weakly on the chest to drive home her point. "Your heart knows what it wants, Bo. Listen to it, and it won't steer you wrong." Alice's eyes had closed then, their conversation having worn her out. He had leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek, knowing that this was the last time he'd see Alice Horton alive. "Listen to your heart, Bo," she had whispered again before drifting back to sleep. Bo had gone downstairs then and taken his leave of Maggie, Marie and Jennifer. Hope was nowhere to be found.

Mrs. Horton had passed away shortly after Bo had left her. Julie had told him that she had opened her eyes and smiled once, whispering her beloved husband's name. Then she had inhaled deeply, and she was gone.

Yesterday, most of Salem had gathered to pay their respects to Alice Horton's memory and see her body interred in its final resting place, her spirit reunited at last with Tom's, never to be parted again.

Carly had not come to the funeral. Bo had not spoken to her since the night Mrs. Horton had died. She had worked a double shift at the hospital, spending the night in the doctors' lounge. Bo knew why she had stayed away, and he was grateful. The last thing Bo wanted was a repeat performance of Hope and Carly's fight at Mickey's wake.

After the funeral, Bo had started walking. He walked all over town until he ended up down at the pier. He had so many memories of the pier and the riverfront, memories that involved Hope and Carly. Night had fallen, and it seemed that Salem had rolled up its sidewalks with the setting sun. No one walked by Bo as he sat stock-still on the bench. He was alone with his thoughts. He contemplated what Mrs. Horton had said to him about listening to his heart. He thought about Hope.

He thought about the first time he'd seen her. She hadn't given him the time of day. As a matter of fact, she'd had a crush on Roman at the time. He thought about the first time they had made love. He'd been her first. That was a special memory to Bo.

He thought about their wedding.

He thought about when Shawn Douglas had been born. He thought about how happy the three of them had been, sailing around the world. Sometimes they would fight, though. When things would get really bad, Bo would escape to a bar in whatever port of call they had docked to seek refuge in whiskey. It was on one such occasion that he intervened in a fight between another couple. The woman was Carly. It seemed to Bo that their paths had been crossing for most of their lives.

He thought about how he and Hope had fought just before she supposedly died.

He thought about how she had been restored to him, about how they had forced their way through her memory loss when she had believed she was Gina Von Amberg. He thought about when they learned Zach was really their child. He remembered when Zach died, how Hope had shut Bo out of her grief and left him to his own. He remembered her affair with Patrick, learning that Ciara was his child and not the other man's. He thought about when Ciara was kidnapped and how Hope had distanced herself from him once more, blaming him for yet another failure as a father. To Hope, Bo had failed to save Zach and he'd knowingly endangered Ciara by rescuing her the way he had.

He thought about Hope turning her back on him and their marriage and taking Ciara from him. She had left their home, broken up their family, leaving Bo with the pieces. Could he and Hope ever find their way back to one another? Did Bo even want to try?

Then his thoughts turned to Carly.

The two of them had sparked from the moment they met. They had fought, they had laughed, they had cried. He'd saved her, repeatedly coming between her and danger. And faster than Bo had been able to admit, Carly had begun to heal the wound inflicted on his soul by the loss of Hope.

He remembered kissing her on the balcony in Alamania, and then properly kissing her for the first time in that damned tunnel.

He remembered the cabin, telling her he loved her and wanting nothing more than to lose himself in her body. He remembered pushing her away because of guilt and fear. He'd pushed her right into his father's arms. Then he'd kissed her again after watching her pledge herself to Victor.

He thought about when she had come to him in the rain to tell him about Victor's deceit. He'd kissed her then, too, had nearly taken her right there on the deck of the _Fancy Face_ in the middle of a raging thunderstorm.

He remembered pushing her away again because of the virus.

He remembered how Carly had fought to save his life. He remembered dancing with her on the rooftop of her building when they were hiding out from Victor. He remembered fleeing with her to Mexico.

He thought about their wedding. He thought about their wedding night. He'd never been happier in his life than when he had finally joined his body with hers. He'd wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

He thought about when she'd left him. He remembered driving his bike onto the tarmac, regretting having let her go, too late to stop the plane from taking off and taking Carly away from him.

He remembered holding her in his arms as she wept, broken, and told him of her life with Lawrence.

He remembered holding Hope in much the same way as she had cried over the loss of her grandmother and countless other times in their decades-long relationship.

He thought about Ciara and the toll that the divorce would take on his little girl. He thought about how he had loved her from the moment she had emerged blood-stained and bawling from between Hope's thighs. He had been the first person to touch his newborn daughter. Bo would forever treasure that memory.

The sun was slowly rising over the river, and Bo closed his eyes. Listening to what his heart was telling him, he made a decision and rose from the bench, a burden lifted off his shoulders.

Bo drank in the sight of the beautiful woman sleeping soundly on the bed. Dark hair fanned out over the pillow. One shapely leg was out from under the covers, and the rays from the rising sun danced appreciatively on the bare skin. Her arms hugged a pillow to her chest. Slipping off his shoes, he stretched out on the bed. The sleeping woman turned to Bo, even in sleep seeking solace in his embrace. Her head came to rest on his broad chest, and Bo's fingers wound their way through the chestnut locks of her hair.

She purred happily in his arms and fitted her body more snugly against his. He couldn't resist and gently kissed her temple. Emerald eyes opened at the touch of his lips on her skin. Carly blinked a couple of times as though she didn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"I'm not. I tried to wait for you, but I guess I fell asleep."

"I took a walk."

"Must have been some walk."

"I needed to sort out some things."

"You seem different."

"Different good or different bad?"

Carly propped up on one elbow and looked deeply into Bo's eyes. Peace shone in the hazel depths. "Different good, I think."

"Definitely good, Princess." Bo dug into his jeans pocket and retrieved the treasure he'd been carrying around for days. He had meant to give it to Carly after he'd squared things away with Hope about the divorce. But on his way home, he'd decided not to wait. He opened his hand and the North Star necklace dropped out. Carly gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, tears springing to her eyes.

"Bo! You still have it."

"It's yours, Princess. Of course I kept it." Carly gave him her back and lifted the heavy curtain of her hair. He obligingly put the necklace on her. The little charm came to rest against the hollow of her throat, and in that moment, Carly felt whole. She turned back to Bo and threw her arms around his neck.

"I don't know when or how long it will take, Carly, but I swear to you that one day you will be my wife. I know this isn't a ring, but I wanted you to have it back."

"I love you, Bo, with all my heart. I don't care how long it takes. In my heart we're already husband and wife."

They made love slowly, savoring each kiss and caress. Afterwards they lay entwined in one another's arms, content to be together. The peaceful silence surrounding them was shattered by the blaring from the alarm clock. Groaning in protest, Carly rolled away from Bo and slammed her hand down on the offensive object. The annoying beeps gave way to the voice of one of the DJ's from Bo's current favorite morning show.

"We'll be back with weather and traffic after this number from Sammy Azur. It's called 'Sunshine.'"

Carly moved to silence the radio completely, but Bo stayed her hand. "I like this song, Princess. Have you heard it?"

Carly shook her head. As a general rule she tried to stay away from country music.

"Just listen," Bo said. Then to Carly's amazement Bo began to sing along with the music.

" _Your dark hair draped across my pillow  
Says I finally got it right  
And as I watch you dreaming, twisted in the sheets  
I can't stop thinking about last night_

Well I've waited so long, so long, so long  
For someone like you  
And as this morning breaks through the window pane  
It reveals the truth

Baby, you're my sunshine, first light  
Find your way to places that only know lies  
Failed tries and bruised skies  
With hardly time to hold on or be strong, now I'm strong  
'Cos like the dawn you push it all away

I tell ya, you're my sunshine  
Everybody needs a little sunshine

Your fingertips, a kiss to this tired face  
It's like I'm young again  
Well I feel beautiful  
But most of all vulnerable since you broke in

Baby, you're my sunshine, first light  
Find your way to places that only know lies  
Failed tries and bruised skies  
With hardly time to hold on or be strong. now I'm strong  
'Cos like the dawn you push it all away

I tell ya, you're my sunshine  
Everybody needs a little sunshine

So won't you take me, take me, take me  
Anywhere and everywhere you go  
All the warmth you bring to this cold heart  
With the slightest touch is enough to know

Baby, you're my sunshine  
Everybody needs a little sunshine  
Yeah, you're my sunshine  
'Cos like the dawn you push it all away"

When he finished his impromptu serenade, Carly gifted Bo with a blindingly beautiful smile. He leaned down to capture her lips with his. Pulling away, he fingered the little charm on the necklace he had given her. "You are my sunshine, Princess."


End file.
